The hypertension diet I am going to refer you to in a moment is
important for anyone fighting high blood pressure. It's particularly
important for people suffering from the chronic
effects of sleep deprivation.

Why? Because the healthier your diet becomes, and the more exercise you
do every day, the lower your blood pressure will go and the better you
will sleep.

Below, in a nutshell, is what you are going to have to start doing for
treatment of hypertension. And of course, since you may be on medicines
for high blood pressure, it's very important to stay in touch with your
doctor. Let him or her know what you are doing so your hypertension
medicines can be adjusted if needed.

And speaking of high blood pressure medications, this link takes you to a page that you are definitely going to want to read. It shows you how to lower your blood pressure naturally—without medications. Or you can click the banner at the bottom of this article for more information.

Also, as you’re going to soon discover, there are a wide variety
of foods you can eat on a hypertension diet. Don’t worry that you’re
going to be stuck eating bland foods and be bored on a hypertension
diet.

Here are a few things you can do right away to help lower your blood pressure.

Cut down on your sodium intake. Studies have shown that
cutting daily sodium intake to less than 2,300 milligrams per day-and
preferably less than 1,500 per day-can reduce your blood pressure.
Beware of processed foods and become a label reader because the grocery
store aisles are jammed with high sodium foods.

In line with cutting your sodium intake, you're going to want to cut way back on fast foods, if you eat them. Most fast foods are notoriously high in salt.

Avoid foods that say partially hydrogenated oils on the label. Those foods contain trans fats, which are not heart friendly.

Saturated fats in a heavy meat and dairy diet are not heart healthy
either, so don't go overboard with these foods. In fact, if you cut out
meat, vegetable oils (except olive oil), and dairy for a mere four
weeks, you would probably see a drop in not only your blood pressure,
but LDL (bad) cholesterol too.

Exercise. Walking can work wonders. Even thirty minutes a
day can help. Gardening, dancing, and bicycling are good too. Anything
that keeps you moving and active can help.

Make fruits and vegetables a major part of your diet.
You should aim for 4 to 5 servings of each every day. Berries are
especially good because they contain antioxidants that fight cell
damaging free radicals.

Get more potassium in your diet. But never from
potassium supplements unless it's under the advice of your doctor! You
can get all the potassium you need from fruits, veggies, nuts, and a few
animal foods.

And don't worry if you're wondering how much a serving is. The
free booklet below will show you what a serving is, as well as what the
best foods are for potassium. You'll love the guide. It's great.

Learn to reduce your stress. This not only helps with
sleep disorders, but also helps keep blood pressure under control. For
example, yoga for insomnia and hypertension is a great way to deal with
stress. Meditation and deep breathing techniques can also help you
relax.

Losing weight—even as little as ten pounds—will also help you sleep better and lower your blood pressure.

For more detailed information on a hypertension diet, the U.S.
Government's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has an excellent,
free, 64-page guide. It's called Your Guide To Lowering Your Blood
Pressure With DASH.
You can download it here.
(Clicking that link opens a new window.)